How often should I call a prospective client?

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A lawyer wants to know, “How often should I call a prospective client after a free consultation or a first phone call?”

The answer is you shouldn’t.

Don’t call. But do follow up.

Don’t call, because calling is bad posture. It makes you look like the pursuer, not the pursued. And that’s true even if you have someone in your office make the call.

You want to attract clients, not chase them. You are a professional. Highly sought after. Booked up.

Let them call you when they’re ready to hire you.

There are exceptions. If the prospect asked you to call. If they called you and you’re returning the call. Or if you are calling to find out if their wife’s surgery went okay.

Otherwise, don’t call.

Follow up by email or regular mail. Send them a thank you note. I enjoyed meeting you, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.

Courtesy, not sales.

Then, put them on your mailing list. Send additional information about their legal issue. Articles and reports. Emails that direct them to relevant content on your website.

But no personal mail or email.

Stay in touch with them and all of your prospects by mail or email. Each time you mail, it reminds them that you still exist and you’re still available to help. You maintain a bit of distance and the correct posture because you’re mailing this information to everyone on your list, not just them.

Information, not sales.

If they came to see you and didn’t hire you, there’s a reason. If they don’t have the money, or they need someone else’s permission, sending information is about all you can do. When they’re ready and able, they’ll call.

If there’s another reason they didn’t hire you, you need to figure out what it is and fix it. Because until you do, no amount of information is going to get them to call.

Get more clients and earn more from the clients you get. Click here.

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Give up good to go for great

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You can do anything you want to do in life; you just can’t do everything.

You have free will. You have unlimited choices. But you don’t have unlimited time. So you can do anything, just not everything. You must choose.

As you choose what to do, you also choose what not to do. The word “decide” means to “kill the other option”. When you chose to go to law school, you also chose not to go to medical school.

If you want to accomplish great things, you must focus on great things and let go of things that are merely good. Give up good to go for great.

What is important to you? Family. Faith. Career. Community. It’s probably not a long list. What’s important to you is where you will find your greatness. Get those things right and you’ll have a happy and fulfilling life.

—

Quick note: Today is the last day to get Cash Flow for Attorneys and The Quantum Leap Marketing System (at 50% off). I’ll be taking down these two products tonight and they will no longer be available.

Get the details here.

Is marketing important to you? It should be. Here’s a good place to start.

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Why clients stay with a bad attorney

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Ever wonder why clients stay with a bad attorney? Because human beings are creatures of habit. They’ll stay with the same dry cleaner, mechanic, or attorney, even if they aren’t thrilled with the service, because it’s too much work to find a new one. Plus, the next one might be even worse.

So things might be bad but until they get bad enough, they stay.

But sometimes it doesn’t take much to go from bad to bad enough. How many clients are just one unreturned phone call away from leaving?

How about your clients? You may think everything is fine but is it?

You need to know.

Survey your clients. Take a poll. Talk to them privately. Do whatever you have to do to find out how they really feel because if your clients don’t love you, you will never be able to build the kind of practice I’m sure you want.

But here’s the thing. Other lawyers’ clients are staying with them because things aren’t bad enough. That’s an opportunity for you.

No, don’t go courting other lawyers’ clients. There’s someone at your state bar with a stick up his ass who’s just waiting for you to do that.

What you can do is write and talk about how important your clients are to you. How you bend over backwards to keep them happy. And how any attorney who doesn’t do the same just doesn’t get it.

Post articles on your web site. Do a video. Develop a talk.

Become an advocate for treating clients with respect and kindness and appreciation. If you do, it won’t be long before you are approached by clients whose lawyers didn’t get it.

Marketing is simple. If you know The Formula.

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Why you should get a marketing partner

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You may not want a law partner but you should definitely have a marketing partner.

Seriously.

It will mean more traffic to your website. More sign ups for your newsletter. And more new clients.

Maybe a ho lotta new clients.

So, this is how it works. You find another attorney, or any other professional who targets the same market you do. It could also be a business owner.

It should be someone who does good work (or sells good products). Someone you would recommend to your clients and contacts if they needed those services or products.

You call them, and ask them if they want to be your marketing partner.

They say yes. Sounds like a plan.

And then. . .

You promote him and he promotes you.

You tell everyone on your list and on social media about how great your partner is. You tell everyone to go visit his website and see all of his great content and sign up for his list.

Your partner does the same thing for you.

You both get traffic. And sign ups. And clients.

Of course your web site should have great content. And a mechanism for signing up visitors on an email list. So if you don’t have these things, you might want to do that first.

And then go get you a marketing partner.

But don’t stop there. Go get another marketing partner. Get as many as you can. Because more is better.

And then, you can talk to your marketing partners about doing more things together to promote each other. Like webinars or teleconferences. Or writing articles for each other’s newsletter or blog.

This is easy. And smart. And very highly leveraged.

It’s called a strategic marketing alliance. Or joint venture. Or cross promotion. And it is one of the best ways for any lawyer to build their practice.

Start making a list. Who do you know who is good at what they do, has a decent website and an email list? Then make some calls.

The Attorney Marketing Formula teaches you more ways to leverage other people’s lists. Click here to get your copy.

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Save 50%–but only for a few days, and then never again

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Yesterday, I wrote about the subject of scarcity and how you can use it in your marketing to get people off the fence. When something is in limited supply, or the clock is ticking and a deadline is approaching, a fear of loss kicks in and motivates action.

The ultimate in scarcity is “no longer available.” When you know that something you want (but have not yet purchased) is going away and may never come back, The Force compels you to reach for your credit card. Or something like that.

For many years, I sold a referral marketing course for attorneys. It was the first of its kind and I sold millions of dollars worth of that course, all over the world. I took it off the market a couple of years ago, intending to update and re-release it.

I still hear from attorneys who bought my course, way back in 1996. They want to know when I’m coming out with the new version. I also hear from attorneys who have heard about the course and want to know when they can order it.

The answer is, I don’t know. It’s a big project and I’m working on other things right now and my plate is full.

“Not available” is about as scarce as it gets. People want it but can’t have it. Value increases. Demand increases. The point is, if it was always available and you could order it at any time, that demand and that perceived value wouldn’t be the same.

That’s the rationale behind the “product launches” you see on the Internet. There’s a big run up to the launch and then the product is removed from the market. Once it’s gone, you can’t get it at any price. No surprise, they sell a lot more of the product during the launch period because people don’t want to miss out.

So. . . what if you announced to your clients that you from this point forward, you would only accept clients who are referred to you by other clients. What do you think would happen?

Yes, demand would go way up.

We see physicians do this. When you hear that a doctor is no longer accepting new patients, that’s the doctor you want, isn’t it?

“Who do I know who can get me in!”

Well, you may not be ready to announce something like this. But what you could do is announce that starting next month, you are strictly limiting the number of new clients you will accept.

You’re super busy and can’t give proper attention to everyone (or you want more time for your family) and so you have to be much more selective about who you accept as a client.

That’s something you should do, anyway. Continually upgrade your client base by eliminating (or not accepting) smaller clients and cases or the ones who give you the most trouble.

Announce it, promote it, and you should see demand for your services go up.

Something to think about.

Okay, announcement time.

Later this month, I’m changing over to a different shopping cart and payment system. In order to do this, I am taking two of my products off the market. I probably won’t re-release them, at least for the foreseeable future.

Anyway, before I remove them, I wanted to give you a chance to pick them up at a great price. So for the next few days, you can order either Cash Flow for Attorneys or The Quantum Leap Marketing System at 50% off the regular price.

Here are the details:

Cash Flow for Attorneys shows you how you can increase your cash flow in the coming year by re-structuring your fees, tightening up your billing and collections, and utilizing other strategies for bringing in more cash. Check it out at http://cashflowforattorneys.com

To get the 50% discount, click on the order button and enter the code <final> (no brackets) in the coupon box. Click to “validate” and you’ll see the price change below to reflect the discount.

The Quantum Leap Marketing System shows you how to quickly bring in a lot of new business. It’s over ten hours of videos and comes with some great bonuses. You can see what’s included at http://quantumleapmarketingsystem.com.

Important: When you get to the big box that says, “Add to Cart,” scroll down a bit and click on the link for “one payment”.

On the next page, (near the top), you’ll see a box that asks for a “Coupon”. Enter the code <final>  (no brackets) and click the link to validate the code. The price will change below to reflect a 50% discount.

After you order, you’ll receive a confirming email with download and/or access instructions. Please make sure to download everything as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please email info@attorneymarketing.com.

Please note, all sales are final–there will be no refunds accepted, so make sure this is something you want before you click the button.

You have the rest of the week to get these. And then. . .  they will be gone.

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How to use scarcity to get more clients and increase your income

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Scarcity creates value. When something is in short supply and people want it, its value increases. A soda may cost less than a dollar at any supermarket but that same soda costs $4 at the baseball game where there is no competition.

If you are the only attorney in town, the value of what you do increases. When a client needs you, they will pay a premium price for your help. On the other hand, if there are lots of attorneys in your market who do what you do and a client can choose any of you, the value of what you offer goes down.

This is why you must show prospective clients that you aren’t like other attorneys. You must show them that you are different in a way that is important and valuable to them.

If you specialize in personal injury cases for clients who ride motorcycles, for example, and ride one yourself, your superior knowledge and commitment to that niche market gives prospective clients a clear reason for choosing you instead of other attorneys.

You can learn more about showing people why they should choose you instead of other attorneys you in The Attorney Marketing Formula. Right now, I want to talk to you about another form of scarcity you can use in your marketing: “limited availability”.

You know that people want what they can’t have, right? When you put a time limit or a quantity limit on something you are offering, (assuming it is something people want), it tends to increase demand.

Why?

The first reason is “fear of loss”. They don’t want to miss out. Limited availability suggests that other people are getting something that could be theirs, thus, they are losing something they already “own,” i.e., whatever you are offering. Fear of loss is one of the most powerful motivations there is.

The other reason is “social proof”. As people see others buying what you are offering, it strengthens the perceived value of your offer. It’s like when you see a long line waiting to get into a restaurant. It tells you the food must be good.

You can use limited availability to get more people to sign up for your webinar or other event by letting them know there is limited seating or phone lines. If they wait too long, they might not get in.

You can use the same idea with impending fee increases. “Book your appointment now and lock in our current rates before they go up on the first of the month”.

Anything with a deadline invokes scarcity. If you ever use special offers–discounts, bonuses, freebies–a time limit on the offer (e.g., “This week only”) will almost always increase response.

I do this when I release a new product or service. I offer a discount to early bird purchasers and put a strict time limit on that discount. Wait too long and you miss it. I do the same thing when I hold a sale. The time limit forces people who might otherwise procrastinate to make a decision that allows them to get something they want.

Limited availability also applies to you and your time. If you are always available, you appear less valuable. If you answer your own phone, for example, it suggests that you are not “in demand” by others. Better to have someone else answer your phone and grant limited access to you and your valuable time.

The same goes for setting appointments. You don’t want clients to think you aren’t busy and that they can see you at almost any time. Put them off for a day or three or give them a short window of availability (i.e., “The only time available is Tuesday between 4 and 4:30 and Thursday at 2”.)

Put limits on what you offer, including your time. Especially your time. You’ll get more people waiting in line to get it.

Learn how to get prospective clients to choose you instead of other attorneys. Click here.

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10 signs you are a successful lawyer (marketing edition)

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How do you know you are a successful lawyer? Some measure success in terms of money. Others use milestones like number of clients, courtroom win/loss ratio, or receiving a prestigious award. I knew I was successful when clients sent me thank you notes and gave me hugs.

Today, I want to give you 10 signs of success from a marketing point of view. I got the idea by reading a similar article for small business owners.

  1. Clients send you referrals. The sine qua non of success. Nothing says you are doing things right better than getting most of your clients via referrals from happy clients.
  2. Other lawyers send you referrals. Successful lawyers get referrals from lawyers in other practice areas. The best lawyers get referrals from lawyers in the same practice area.
  3. Non-lawyers send you referrals. Influential people in your community or niche market should have you on their radar and be sending you business.
  4. Clients find you (via search, social, publicity, articles, etc.) You should be getting clients who find your web site through various means and are impressed with your knowledge and experience. The web site should sell them on hiring you or taking the next step.
  5. The media seeks you out (interviews, quotes, profiles). This usually occurs because of a prominent case or client or because a writer or publisher finds your web site and is convinced you are THE subject matter expert for the story they are working on.
  6. You have a list and you stay in touch. Most people who find you don’t hire you immediately. You need to collect their contact information and stay in touch with them. You also need to stay in touch with your clients because they are your best source of new business.
  7. You use strategic marketing alliances. Your client list is paramount. Next best are the client lists of other professionals and business owners. By leveraging the trust they have with their lists, you get exposed to, and endorsed by, those professionals, which should bring you a steady stream of pre-sold prospective clients.
  8. You fire clients. Successful marketing means you have the ability to continually upgrade your client list. You make room for better clients by purging the lowest segments of your client list (lowest paying, least amount of work, slow paying, complainers, etc.)
  9. A publisher asks you to write a book. If your web site (podcast, video channel), has lots of good content, and it looks like you have a good following, a publisher may contact you to see if you want to write a book. They know that book has a built in audience of potential buyers.
  10. Other lawyers ask how you do it. If you are successful in bringing in lots of good clients, other lawyers will ask you to share your secrets.

So, how did you score? Do you some opportunities for improvement?

You may be a good lawyer but are you good at marketing? Here’s what to do.

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Increase your income: offer a premium version of your legal services

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A simple way to increase your income without increasing your fees is to offer a premium version of your legal services.

If your basic service is $2500, you might offer a deluxe package for $2950 which allows clients to get additional services they will probably need down the line. They can get everything taken care of all at once and save a few bucks.

What options, extras, or “nice to have” additional services could you offer to new clients? The best time to present these extras is at the initial engagement when they are in a buying mood. They see that it’s “only a few hundred dollars more” and it’s an easier decision than if you went back to them later.

Having a deluxe version also allows you to offer prospective clients a choice between the two versions, which is better than offering them a choice between hiring you or not. No matter which version they choose, you have a new client.

You can create a deluxe version of your services by adding something to what you ordinarily do. Or, you can leave out something you ordinarily do and call that your basic package. So, if you ordinarily do A, B, C, and D, your basic package would now be A, B, and C and your deluxe package would include everything.

You could also create a deluxe package by including services from another lawyer. For example, your basic version may be a business start up package and your deluxe package might include an employee manual produced by an employment lawyer. If you are an estate planning lawyer, your deluxe package might include a mini-plan from a financial planner you work with.

A deluxe package doesn’t necessarily have to include additional services, however. It might be a higher level of service–quicker turnaround or priority handling, for example.

Offering a premium version of your services is a simple way to increase your income. Even if only a small percentage of clients opt for it, you come out ahead.

The Attorney Marketing Formula: The 6 Keys to Higher Income. Click here to learn more.

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How to find ideas for blog posts

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If you would like to know how to find ideas for blog posts, I’ve got an easy one for you.

Go to Google and type in a question related to your legal services. Before you complete the sentence, Google’s autocomplete mechanism (assuming you have it enabled) will provide you with a list of possible searches based on what you have written so far.

I did just that by entering in, “What is the difference between a will” and as you can see in the graphic below, Google gave me several options for completing my search request, to wit, “What is the difference between a will and a trust,” “What is the difference between a will and a living will,” “What is the difference between a will and estate planning,” and so on, based on what other people have searched for in the past.

How to find ideas for blog posts

Armed with this information, you can write a blog post that answers the very questions your prospective clients are searching for. Use one of these search phrases as the title of your article and you will increase your chances of being found in subsequent searches.

You can use the other search queries as key word phrases in your post, or write other articles with these titles.

This can help you find “long tail” search terms, meaning longer, more specific search phrases you can use instead of the more common, shorter and highly competitive phrases.

For example, you would have a hard time getting found by targeting the search term, “slip and fall.” There are too many lawyers competing for that phrase, in both generic search and in Adwords. But type in “slip and fall” into Google and you will find another suggestion: “slip and fall statute of limitations california”. Make that the title of your article (or bid on this term in Adwords) and you should have very little competition.

I used Google to generate the title of this post. I typed in, “How to find ideas for” and it suggested, “How to find ideas for blog posts,” and not “newsletter,” “ezine,” or “articles.”

Prospective clients are looking for information. Now you know an easy way to find out what they want to know so you can give it to them.

The law is complicated. Marketing is simple.

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Pros and cons of starting a law practice

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I was reading some statistics about the failure rate of small businesses. The numbers are brutal. 50% fail in their first year. 95% are out of business within five years.

It got me thinking about the survival rate for a new law practice. I don’t know what the actual numbers are but it wouldn’t surprise me if you told me that 95% are still going after five years.

Then I got to thinking about why. What is it about the business model of a small law practice that allows for such a high survival rate compared to other small businesses?

If you’re thinking about starting a law practice, here are the pros and cons I came up with:

THE PROS

  • Lower start up costs. You have rent deposits, furniture and computers (which can be financed), but no inventory or expensive equipment, and you can start without any employees.
  • Lower overhead. Your biggest fixed costs are rent and insurance. As you grow, you can hire employees or outsource, unlike a restaurant which cannot operate without employees.
  • Lower marketing costs. You need a web site. You can bring in business by networking. You don’t need to advertise.
  • Higher margins. You don’t sell a $10 product, you sell a $5,000 product. You can break even with just one or two new clients a month.
  • Steady work (business clients). Business clients tend to have ongoing legal needs. (But see below.)

THE CONS

  • Limited time. There are only so many hours in a day available for you to produce work product. If you have employees, you must supervise them. You have to reach a certain size before you can justify hiring staff to manage staff.
  • Limited growth options. You can’t franchise. You can’t take on investors. Bank financing is more difficult without inventory or other assets as collateral. If you want to open additional offices, you must be willing to stretch your time even thinner.
  • Competition. There are more lawyers today and fewer clients (with money). You also have competition with legal form companies, paralegals, and legal plan companies.
  • Feast or famine. Business clients go out of business and take their legal work with them. Consumer clients hire you once and often never again.
  • Limited retirement options. It’s difficult to sell a law practice for a decent multiple. You usually have to carry a note and depend on the buyer’s ability to pay (and many of your clients won’t stay with the buyer).

So, what do you think? Did I miss any? Does it look like a law practice is a sound business model? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Learn how to earn more than you ever thought possible in your law practice. Click here.

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